U.S. patent application number 12/699850 was filed with the patent office on 2010-06-17 for systems and methods for packaging and distributing information.
This patent application is currently assigned to STRAGENT, LLC. Invention is credited to Arif Diwan.
Application Number | 20100150050 12/699850 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 24176252 |
Filed Date | 2010-06-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100150050 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Diwan; Arif |
June 17, 2010 |
Systems And Methods For Packaging And Distributing Information
Abstract
A system (190) provides information to multiple subscribers
(105-125). The system (190) receives requests for different types
of information from the subscribers (105-125) and stores rules for
delivering the requested information. The system (190) gathers
information from multiple information sources (145-155), packages
at least some of the gathered information into customized bundles
according to the received requests and the stored rules, and
delivers the customized bundles to the subscribers (105-125)
according to the stored rules.
Inventors: |
Diwan; Arif; (Cranston,
RI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
The Caldwell Firm, LLC
PO Box 59655, Dept. SVIPGP
Dallas
TX
75229
US
|
Assignee: |
STRAGENT, LLC
Longview
TX
|
Family ID: |
24176252 |
Appl. No.: |
12/699850 |
Filed: |
February 3, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10929146 |
Aug 27, 2004 |
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12699850 |
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09545439 |
Apr 7, 2000 |
6801936 |
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10929146 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
370/312 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 12/1859
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
370/312 |
International
Class: |
H04H 20/71 20080101
H04H020/71 |
Claims
1. A method for providing information to a plurality of
subscribers, comprising: receiving requests for different types of
information from the subscribers; storing rules for delivering the
requested information; gathering information from a plurality of
information providers; packaging at least some of the gathered
information into customized bundles according to the received
requests and the stored rules; and delivering the customized
bundles to the subscribers according to the stored rules.
Description
CROSS-RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application is a continuation of U.S.
application Ser. No. 09/545,439, filed Apr. 7, 2000, the
specification of which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates generally to information
distribution systems and, more particularly, to systems and methods
that facilitate the distribution of information from various
sources to multiple subscribers.
[0004] B. Description of Related Art
[0005] Over the last decade, networks, such as the Internet, have
expanded by many orders of magnitude. The types of information
provided over these networks have also increased and now include
streaming audio, video, multi-player network interactive games, and
other multimedia information. With the vast amount of information
available, it has become extremely important to distribute the
information in as efficient and economical a manner as possible,
especially at the edges of the networks, where mobile nodes may tie
into wireless networks.
[0006] Some conventional systems use broadcast technology to
distribute information. Broadcasting permits information providers
to send a single message that is replicated and transmitted across
a network. If a user desires information from one or more broadcast
streams, the user needs to identify the information providers that
supply the information and constantly monitor the network for
broadcast messages from the identified information providers. These
conventional systems do not permit the user to customize the
delivery of the information.
[0007] Other conventional systems use multicast technology to
distribute information. Multicasting permits information providers
to send a single message that is replicated and transmitted to
hundreds and thousands of subscribers across a network. If a user
desires information in this case, the user must determine what
information providers supply the desired information and subscribe
to their information delivery services. It is not always easy,
however, to find these information providers and once they are
found, they may not permit the user to customize the delivery of
the information.
[0008] As a result, a need exists for a system that facilitates the
information request process and permits users to customize the
types of information they receive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Systems and methods consistent with the present invention
address this need by providing at least one agent that gathers
information from multiple sources, packages the information into
customized bundles, and delivers the bundles to subscribers
according to a set of rules using multicast routing techniques.
[0010] In accordance with the purpose of the invention as embodied
and broadly described herein, a system provides information to
multiple subscribers. The system receives requests for different
types of information from the subscribers and stores rules for
delivering the requested information. The system gathers
information from multiple information sources, packages at least
some of the gathered information into customized bundles according
to the received requests and the stored rules, and delivers the
customized bundles to the subscribers according to the stored
rules.
[0011] In another implementation consistent with the present
invention, an agent connects to at least one information source and
at least one subscriber. The agent includes a memory and a
processor. The memory stores instructions. The processor executes
the instructions in the memory to collect different types of
information from the information sources, package at least some of
the collected information into bundles based on preferences of the
subscribers, generate multicast messages containing the bundles,
and transmit the multicast messages to appropriate ones of the
subscribers.
[0012] In a further implantation consistent with the present
invention, a method for delivering information includes receiving
requests for different types of information from multiple
subscribers; collecting information from multiple information
sources over a network;
[0013] identifying parts of the collected information common to the
requests of a group of the subscribers; generating a multicast
message containing the common information; and transmitting the
multicast message to the group of subscribers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate the invention
and, together with the description, explain the invention. In the
drawings,
[0015] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary network in which systems
and methods consistent with the present invention may be
implemented;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a detailed diagram of an agent in the network of
FIG. 1;
[0017] FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram of a subscriber database in
the agent of FIG. 2;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of processing for registering with an
agent to receive customized bundles of information; and
[0019] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of processing for packaging and
distributing information to subscribers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] The following detailed description of the invention refers
to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in
different drawings identify the same or similar elements. Also, the
following detailed description does not limit the invention.
Instead, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended
claims and equivalents.
[0021] Systems and methods consistent with the present invention
efficiently and economically distribute information from multiple
sources to multiple subscribers. The systems and methods gather
information from the sources, package them into customized bundles
according to requests and rules defined by the subscribers and/or
agent managers, and transmit the bundles to the subscribers based
on the rules using Internet protocol (IP) multicast routing
techniques. IP multicast, coupled with multicast routing
techniques, provides a powerful mechanism by which to distribute
information to a very large number of subscribers from a single
source.
[0022] Exemplary Network
[0023] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary network 100 in which
systems and methods consistent with the present invention may be
implemented. The network 100 may include multiple subscribers
105-125 and multiple information providers 145-155 connected via
networks 175 and 180, respectively, to one or more agents 190. The
networks 175 and 180 may include the Internet, an intranet, a wide
area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a local area
network (LAN), a public telephone network, such as the public
switched telephone network (PSTN), or a similar network. In
addition the networks 175 and 180 may comprise a single network or
separate networks. such as the public switched telephone
network.
[0024] The subscribers 105-125 may include any combination of
personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptop,
mobile or portable telephones, and similar communication devices
that request information supplied by one or more of the information
providers 145-155. The subscribers 105-125 may connect to the
network 175 in several different ways, including wired, wireless,
and optical connections. For example, subscribers 105 and 110
connect to the network 175 via a LAN 130; subscriber 115 connects
to the network 175 via a conventional gateway 135; subscriber 120
connects to the network 175 via a wired, wireless, or optical
connection; and subscriber 125 connects to the network 175 via a
separate network 140 that may include the Internet, an intranet, a
WAN, a LAN, etc. Five subscribers have been shown in FIG. 1 for
simplicity. Additional subscribers may also be included in the
network 100.
[0025] The information providers 145-155 may include servers,
personal computers, laptops, or similar devices that supply
information to whomever wants it and/or subscribes to the service.
The information providers 145-155 may broadcast streams of
information onto the network 180. One example of an information
provider may include a news web site, such as NBC.com, that
broadcasts streams of news information.
[0026] Alternatively, the information providers 145-155 may
transmit multicast messages containing information. In this case,
the information providers 145-155 may receive requests for
information according to any conventional protocol, such as the
hyper text transfer protocol (HTTP), the simple mail transfer
protocol (SMTP), the network virtual terminal protocol (Telnet),
and the like. In response to the requests, the information
providers 145-155 may generate multicast messages that include the
requested information, such as stock quotes, weather or sports
reports, etc., and transmit them using conventional multicast
routing techniques. One example of an information provider may
include the web site Weather.com that provides up-to-date weather
reports to its subscribers.
[0027] To accomplish the broadcast or multicast transmissions, the
information providers 145-155 may connect to the network 180 in a
number of different ways, including wired, wireless, and optical
connections. For example, information provider 145 connects to the
network 180 via a conventional gateway 160; information provider
150 connects to the network 180 via a wired, wireless or optical
connection; and information provider 155 connects to the network
180 via a separate network 170 that may include the Internet, an
intranet, a WAN, a LAN, etc. Three information providers have been
shown in FIG. 1 for simplicity. Additional information providers
may also be included in the network 100.
[0028] The agent(s) 190 take requests from the subscribers 105-125
for supplying them with information supplied by the information
providers 145-155. FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram of an agent 190
in one implementation consistent with the present invention. In
this implementation, the agent 190 is a stand-alone device. In
other implementations, the agent 190 may be a virtual entity whose
functions are distributed over several devices or implemented as
software within a single device, such as network router.
[0029] The agent 190 may include a bus 210, a processor 220, a main
memory 230, a read only memory (ROM) 240, a storage device 250, an
input device 260, an output device 270, and a communication
interface 280. The bus 210 permits communication among the
components of the agent 190.
[0030] The processor 220 may include any type of conventional
processor or microprocessor that interprets and executes
instructions. The main memory 230 may include a random access
memory (RAM) or another dynamic storage device that stores
information and instructions for execution by the processor 220.
The ROM 240 may include a conventional ROM device or another type
of static storage device that stores static information and
instructions for use by the processor 220. The storage device 250
may include a magnetic and/or optical recording medium and its
corresponding drive.
[0031] The input device 260 may include any conventional mechanism
that permits an operator to input information to the agent 190,
such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, voice recognition and/or
biometric mechanisms, etc. The output device 270 may include any
conventional mechanism that outputs information to the operator,
including a display, a printer, a pair of speakers, etc. The
communication interface 280 may include any transceiver-like
mechanism that enables the agent 190 to communicate with other
devices and/or systems. For example, the communication interface
280 may include mechanisms for communicating with another device or
system via a network, such as networks 175 and 180.
[0032] As will be described in detail below, an agent 190,
consistent with the present invention, repackages information from
information providers into customized bundles and provides the
bundles to subscribers in accordance with a set of rules using, for
example, IP multicast routing techniques. The agent 190 performs
these tasks in response to the processor 220 executing sequences of
instructions contained in, for example, memory 230. These
instructions may be read into memory 230 from another
computer-readable medium, such as the storage device 250, or from
another device via the communication interface 280.
[0033] Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in
memory 230 causes processor 220 to perform processes that will be
described later. Alternatively, hardwired circuitry may be used in
place of or in combination with software instructions to implement
processes consistent with the present invention. Thus, the present
invention is not limited to any specific combination of hardware
circuitry and software.
[0034] Exemplary Subscriber Database
[0035] The agent 190 may store a subscriber database that controls
packaging and distribution operations performed by the agent 190.
FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram of a subscriber database 300
consistent with the present invention. The subscriber database 300
may physically reside in the storage device 250 or main memory 230
of the agent 190 or may be stored in an external memory device
accessible by the agent 190 via the communication interface
280.
[0036] The subscriber database 300 may include multiple entries
310, corresponding to multiple subscribers, and manager rules 320.
Each of the entries 310 may include a subscriber identifier field
312, a requests field 314, and a rules field 316. The subscriber
identifier field 312 may store a unique identifier for a particular
subscriber or group of subscribers.
[0037] The requests field 314 may store information that indicates
the types of information that the subscriber(s) identified in the
corresponding subscriber identifier field 312 desires. The requests
field 314 may include, for example, requests for stock quotes,
current weather conditions, sports scores, news headlines, etc. The
requests may be general or specific in nature. For example, a
subscriber might request stock quotes for GTE stock, weather
conditions for Boston, NBA scores, and all news headlines
concerning Fortune 500 companies.
[0038] The rules field 316 may store rules that control the manner
in which the agent 190 bundles and distributes the information it
receives from the information providers. The rules might specify
whether the subscriber wants the agent 190 to always complete a
bundle or to fulfill partial orders (i.e., a bundle that includes a
portion, but not all, of the information requested by the
subscriber), the intervals at which the bundles must be released to
subscriber, the form that the subscriber wants the bundle delivered
(e.g., in text or audio format), etc.
[0039] The manager rules 320 include rules established by an agent
manager. The agent manager may be a person or system that
establishes a set of "ground rules" for the agent 190 to help the
agent 190 operate in an efficient and economical manner. These
rules might specify whether to form unions and intersections of
requests to generate bundles of optimal size that will satisfy the
requests of several subscribers, and whether to generate bundles
with less and/or more information than the subscribers request.
[0040] Processing for Registering a Subscriber
[0041] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of processing for registering with an
agent to receive customized bundles of information. When a
subscriber desires to register with an agent, such as agent 190,
the subscriber contacts the agent 190 in a conventional manner. For
example, the subscriber may access a web site of the agent 190 via
a network, such as the Internet, contact the agent 190 via a data
or voice connection, email the agent 190, or establish contact with
the agent 190 via other mechanisms. Once the subscriber contacts
the agent 190, the agent 190 may generate a subscriber identifier
for the new subscriber [step 410]. The agent 190 may automatically
generate a numeric or alphanumeric identifier for the subscriber or
may permit the subscriber to provide an identifier.
[0042] The agent 190 prompts the subscriber for the type(s) of
information that the subscriber desires to receive. For example,
the agent 190 may present the subscriber with a list of available
information services and permit the subscriber to select from the
list. Alternatively, the agent 190 may permit the subscriber to
specify the information services that the subscriber desires
without presenting the subscriber with a list. In any event, the
agent 190 receives a request notification (i.e., a selection) from
the subscriber indicating the information services that the
subscriber desires [step 420].
[0043] The agent 190 prompts the subscriber for delivery rules that
indicate the manner in which the subscriber wants the information
delivered. For example, the subscriber might specify that the
information must be delivered by 5:00 PM each day, whether the
subscriber wants all of the information or will accept some of it,
etc. The subscriber provides the rules to the agent 190 [step 430].
The agent 190 then stores the subscriber identifier, request
notification, and rules in the appropriate fields of an entry 310
in the subscriber database 300 [step 440].
[0044] If the subscriber requests information that the agent 190
does not already obtain for another subscriber, the agent 190 may
identify the information provider that broadcasts the information
and arrange to receive the broadcast stream [step 450].
Alternatively, the agent 190 may request delivery of the
information from an information provider [step 450]. In this case,
the agent 190 may obtain a multicast group identification (ID)
address from the information provider for use by the agent 190 in
receiving the information provided by the information provider. The
agent 190 then begins listening for information form information
providers using one or more multicast group ID addresses.
[0045] Processing for Packaging and Distributing Information
[0046] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of processing for packaging and
distributing information to subscribers. In their usual course of
business, information providers transmit information, such as stock
quotes, sports scores, etc., onto the network 180 [step 510]. The
information providers may transmit the information using broadcast
or multicast techniques. Members of a multicast group are
identified by a common multicast group ID address. The agent 190
listens for the broadcast streams and, using its multicast group ID
addresses, the multicast messages to select the information its
subscribers desire [step 520].
[0047] Based on the requests and rules stored in its subscriber
database 300, the agent 190 packages the messages into customized
bundles [step 530]. The requests might indicate, for example, that
a particular subscriber wants to receive stock quotes for GTE stock
and sports scores relating to NBA games. The rules might dictate
that the agent 190 form unions and intersections of subscriber
requests to generate bundles of optimal size. These bundles might
actually contain more or less information than desired by the
particular subscribers. In the case where the bundles contain more
information, software used by the subscribers may discard the
extraneous information.
[0048] Once the bundles of information have been generated, the
agent 190 distributes them to the subscribers [step 540]. The agent
190 may use IP multicast techniques to distribute a bundle to all
of the subscribers requesting the information. The subscriber
receives the information, possibly using a multicast group ID
address, discards any extraneous information, and provides the
requested information to a user. For example, the subscriber may
present the requested information to the user as scrolling text in
a pop-up window on a display.
CONCLUSION
[0049] Systems and methods consistent with the present invention
improve the deliver of information from multiple sources by
providing one or more agents that receive the information from the
sources, package the information into customized bundles, and
deliver the bundles according to a set of rules using multicast
routing techniques.
[0050] The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the
present invention provides illustration and description, but is not
intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise
form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light
of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the
invention. For example, the agent 190 has been described as
passively listening for multicast messages from information
providers. In another implementation consistent with the present
invention, the agent 190 actively gets the desired information by
accessing web sites, for example, of the information providers.
[0051] In yet another implementation consistent with the present
invention, the subscribers subscribe to various information
services provided by the information providers. The information
providers provide the subscribers with multicast group ID
addresses. The subscribers, in turn provide the group ID addresses
to the agent 190. The agent 190, thereafter, intercepts messages
from the information providers intended for the subscribers and
bundles the information for them.
[0052] The scope of the invention is defined by the claims and
their equivalents.
* * * * *